Robert Zeglinski: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

After a career “leap” season in points, rebounds, and assists, Maxey established himself as an All-Star caliber player. Now he gets to use this postseason as a springboard toward becoming a genuine household name.

Prince Grimes: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

The Magic haven’t been here in five years, but they have a first-round series they can absolutely win against Cleveland. And if they prevail, it’ll be in part because Banchero showed just how good he is and will be. He’s going to make people pay attention to the Magic.

Mike Sykes: Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

Everyone talks about how the Thunder aren’t ready for the postseason because of their relative inexperience. But I think Williams’ three-level shot creation is going to be key for a long Thunder playoff run. He’ll surprise people as the second or third-best player in quite a few series the Thunder come upon.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Derrick White, Boston Celtics

He isn’t going to drop 40 points or anything crazy, but he is going to do all of the little things needed to win (multiple) playoff series, and basketball fans will love him for it.

Cole Huff: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

The Magic might just get by the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in this opening round, and if they do, it’ll be because the second-year former No. 1 overall pick put the team on his back offensively. Even if the Magic don’t win, I’m confident Banchero’s performance will open the eyes of the national media.

Robert Zeglinski: Philadelphia 76ers

I love the way the bracket has broken for Philadelphia with a healthy Joel Embiid. The 76ers could theoretically get an Eastern Conference Finals path that features the Miami Heat (who they already beat in the play-in), the New York Knicks (their upcoming first-round opponent), and an injured Milwaukee/unprepared Indiana team. And with a fresh Embiid ready for Boston, all bets should be off with the Finals on the line.

Prince Grimes: New York Knicks

I wish Julius Randle was healthy, but I love the trades New York made this season, specifically the move for OG Anunoby. Jalen Brunson is a star, and he has a ton to work with on this roster.

Mike Sykes: Philadelphia 76ers

Look, man. If Joel Embiid played the entire season, he’d probably be the NBA’s MVP this year. The team hasn’t lost a game since he returned to the lineup. It’s hard to pick anybody but the 76ers for this spot.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Indiana Pacers

We’ve got a wonderful young star in Tyrese Haliburton leading one of the best offenses in the league. I have some worries about their defense, but I’ll take my chances of them at least getting past the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1.

Cole Huff: Indiana Pacers

This is the only correct answer. The Pacers are set up very nicely here, getting to face a Bucks team they’ve already beaten four out of five times this season, who may or may not have the services of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Additionally, should Indy put away the Bucks, it won’t have to worry about the Boston Celtics until the conference finals, should both teams advance. The path is there.

Robert Zeglinski: Dallas Mavericks

The worst-kept secret post-All-Star break has been the Mavericks. Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have been revelations for a squad that suddenly looks like a powerhouse. Luka Doncic is playing like the second-best player in the world, and he has the ability to be the best in any given series. Watch out for Dallas.

Prince Grimes: Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic is on the short list of players who can take over a playoff series. With Kyrie Irving flanking him, the Mavs have two of the NBA’s most dangerous offensive forces. And they come into the playoffs with some serious momentum after a 16-2 stretch before the end of the regular season. They’re also just two years removed from reaching the Western Conference Finals.

Mike Sykes: Dallas Mavericks

I hate to pick the Mavs here because it feels like such a popular pick. But Luka Doncic is one of the five best players in the NBA right now and is paired with Kyrie Irving — someone who is dangerous from everywhere on the court. I think this team can beat anyone in the West.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Los Angeles Lakers

Can the Lakers go on a miraculous run two years in a row? Probably not! But if there is a team that could possibly do it, even though I am fully regretting this as I’m typing it, it’s the one with LeBron James.

Cole Huff: Phoenix Suns

Call me crazy, but I think Phoenix has a good shot at living up to its preseason hype. The Suns have made light work of the Minnesota Timberwolves all season long, and should the Devin Booker-led team make it out of the first round, they (likely) stand toe-to-toe with a Denver Nuggets team whom they played better than maybe any other team did during the 82-game marathon of the regular season.

Robert Zeglinski: Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers have the horses to win a title. They’re also very well-coached by Tyronn Lue. But why do I get the feeling this group of wily veterans has one last embarrassing playoff stunt to “pull off” together? What better (funnier) way to cap off a Clippers era than going out with a thud?

Prince Grimes: Miami Heat

You can never be sure with Miami, but it’s hard to believe they’ll be able to conjure up the same magic as last season. And once they do ultimately flop, it’ll be a disappointing follow-up to their finals run.

Mike Sykes: Golden State Warriors

In a normal year without playing in a historically tough conference, this team probably looks a lot better. Going 27-12 down the stretch is definitely a good look. But there’s too much talent on this team for it to be a No. 10 seed in the West that falls out of the play-in. Sorry.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Milwaukee Bucks

I think there is a real chance Giannis Antetokounmpo can (or should) miss significant time due to his calf injury, and if the Bucks are eliminated from contention early, they’ll have some very tough questions to answer.

Cole Huff: Cleveland Cavaliers

After stumbling to the regular season’s finish line, the Cavs find themselves in a situation that mirrors last postseason — approaching a first-round matchup vs. a defensive-minded team that presents all sorts of length and physicality. I’m expecting a similar result.

Robert Zeglinski: Boston Celtics

This frankly shouldn’t be close. Boston just enjoyed one of the best regular seasons in NBA history. The gap between Boston’s No. 1 East seed and No. 2 is bigger than the gap between the West No. 1 and the No. 10 seeds. If the Celtics can’t get this job done after all their heartbreak, it’s hard to imagine they ever will.

Prince Grimes: Boston Celtics

To repeatedly go on deep playoff runs and fall short of a title puts the Celtics in a position where they need to win, especially with the trades they made to beef up the roster.

Mike Sykes: Boston Celtics

I wanted to go with the Bucks here, but man. After the Celtics have gotten so close time after time, it just feels like the clock is ticking. How many times do you run this thing back before you decide it’s time to shake it up? They have to win.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Milwaukee Bucks

Even though the Celtics are the obvious choice here, it’s not my pick. Let’s say Boston blows it. They’re going to run it back next season. Do you know who could really shake things up, though? Milwaukee, so much so that Giannis could ask out.

Cole Huff: Boston Celtics

It has to be the Celtics. They were quite clearly the NBA’s best team from start to finish this season. After coming up short in consecutive years, you have to wonder that if this core can’t get it done this year, then it might not ever be able to.

Robert Zeglinski: Philadelphia 76ers

Boston doesn’t have anyone who can guard Joel Embiid one-on-one, and Maxey has evolved into a legit No. 2 running mate who can give the Celtics’ All-Defense-caliber backcourt some real problems. News flash: The 76ers were pretty great when everyone was healthy earlier in the year! They’re not really a play-in-caliber team when they have all of their horses.

Prince Grimes: Philadelphia 76ers

Yeah, it’s the team with the would-be back-to-back MVP had he not gotten injured. If healthy, Joel Embiid is a force to be reckoned with.

Mike Sykes: Milwaukee Bucks

Say what you want about Milwaukee, but I still believe in the Bucks. This team has played Boston well when healthy this season. Damian Lillard is a star who shines in the biggest moments. If the Bucks can get a healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo for the playoffs, I think Milwaukee can give Boston a run.

Bryan Kalbrosky: New York Knicks

My most controversial opinion of the season is that as good as he is when he is healthy, the Knicks do not need Julius Randle to make a crazy run in the playoffs. This feels like a team of destiny, and the vibes in New York are stupendous.

Cole Huff: New York Knicks

I almost put down a futures bet on the Knicks to come out of the East a while back, but then Julius Randle and OG Anunoby got injured, and I lost confidence. But hey, even with Randle lost for the season, I think this team has the competitive spirit and heart to actually outplay the Celtics. And I’ll continue to believe Jalen Brunson can be the best player on the floor until someone proves otherwise.

Robert Zeglinski: Minnesota Timberwolves

I look at the reigning champions’ path to a repeat with one simple equation — what is their opponents’ answer for Nikola Jokic? And how do they make life difficult for him? Arguably no one in the playoff field is more equipped to make Jokic (and Jamal Murray) trudge through thick mud quite like defensively-focused Minnesota. Earning that last-second No. 2 seed, complete with a Nuggets’ home-court advantage in a potential second-round series with Minnesota, might come in very handy.

Prince Grimes: Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota gave Denver its *toughest* series last season. It’s only a year wiser and better this postseason.

Mike Sykes: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder don’t really have the size in the frontcourt to deal with the Nuggets, but I think if we get the best out of OKC’s backcourt, it’ll be a really tough series for Denver. This is an elite team on both sides of the ball. I think it’s possible we see them in the Finals.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Oklahoma City Thunder

One of the most important criteria to consider when evaluating teams in any postseason is to highlight those who are good on offense and defense. They’re young as heck, but I’m taking OKC.

Cole Huff: Phoenix Suns

Boy, am I going to look silly if Phoenix falls flat. I don’t believe the Nuggets have the defenders in place to slow the Suns’ wings, as proven throughout this season.

Robert Zeglinski: East: 76ers over Celtics in 6; West: Nuggets over Mavericks in 6

Boston hasn’t faced consistently tough competition in the East all season. The 76ers have shown they’re an elite power when they have everyone available. If Joel Embiid — who, even with a meniscus injury, essentially got two months of rest — is finally going to make a Finals, it’ll be this spring. Meanwhile, in the West, I think the reigning champs have been saving their energy for this time of year all season. It’d be fitting that en route to a repeat pursuit, Nikola Jokic would have to defeat one of his best NBA friends, Luka Doncic.

Prince Grimes: East: Celtics over Knicks in 6; West: Nuggets over Mavericks in 5

Even with all the questions I still have about the Celtics, I think they’re too good to fail in the Eastern Conference. And while I don’t feel the same about Denver in the West, I do think the Nuggets have the best player in the NBA, and that will make all the difference in their run through some of the toughest teams in the NBA.

Mike Sykes: East: Celtics over Knicks in 7; West: Nuggets over Mavericks in 4

Bryan Kalbrosky: East: Celtics over Knicks in 6; West: Thunder over Nuggets in 7

This is a dream scenario for the league in the East, and I think it’s a realistic possibility. Meanwhile, in the West, it’s really hard to make the NBA Finals multiple years in a row. Denver is good, but let’s see if the Thunder have a shot.

Cole Huff: East: Celtics over Knicks in 6; West: Clippers over Suns in 6

Hear me out. the Clippers will make the Western Conference Finals if Kawhi Leonard is healthy (huge if, I know). But in this hypothetical, he is healthy. And the Clippers showed me enough for that 30-game stretch for me to believe that, at their peak, they can beat anyone.

Robert Zeglinski: Denver Nuggets over Philadelphia 76ers in 6 (Nikola Jokic MVP)

When firing on all cylinders, when everyone is healthy, and when they’re game-planning for the competition (something they seldom do in the regular season), no one can beat reigning champion Denver, especially in a seven-game series. No one. The best starting five in basketball. The best clutch team in basketball. The best player in the world. And how fun would a back-to-back championship win be over Nikola Jokic’s primary player “rival”? Welcome to the peak time of the Jokic era.

Prince Grimes: Denver Nuggets over Boston Celtics in 6 (Nikola Jokic MVP)

This is where the Celtics’ tendency to settle for long threes and tough jump shots will come back to bite them. Denver isn’t the best defensive team, but it is formidable and won’t make it easy for Boston’s wings to get into the paint. Meanwhile, the Nuggets seem to get whatever shot they want, when they want, thanks to the cheat code that is Nikola Jokic. He’ll lead Denver to a second consecutive title, though it won’t come nearly as easy as last season.

Mike Sykes: Denver Nuggets over Boston Celtics in 5 (Nikola Jokic MVP)

When it all comes down to it, I think the Nuggets have the best player in the NBA. Nikola Jokic is a scheme breaker. No matter what defense is thrown at him, he finds a way. I think we’ll see that against Boston in the Finals this year. Give me Nuggets in a close five-game series.

Bryan Kalbrosky: Oklahoma City Thunder over Boston Celtics in 7 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP)

Are the Thunder ready for the biggest stage in the NBA? We’re about to find out! But I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that it’s Boston who will win the title this year, even if they’re clearly the best team, because that isn’t how this works.

Cole Huff: Boston Celtics over Los Angeles Clippers in 6 (Kristaps Porzingis MVP)

I do think it’s Boston’s time to get over the hump. MVP goes to Kristaps Porzingis because the Clippers won’t have a good matchup for his skillset at the center position.